Ignition timer and detector.



T. C.' lRBES. IGNITION TIMER NND DETECTOR. APPLIUATIONTIJED JUNE 9,1910.

1,01 9,8846. v Patented Mar. `12, 1912.

:l I' 111111711 g [ml I i l l* n UNITED STATESA PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS-O. FORBES, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO LOS'ANGELES ROTARY GAS ENGINE COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OE CALIFORNIA.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. FoRBEs, a citizen .of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented anew and useful Ignition Timer and Detector, of which 'the following is a s ecit'lcation.

This invention re ates to a device adapted 4- to be used in connection with gas engines of against al pin 6 tonormally hold the de -tector 'pin 3 inwardly. -The inner end of ,each detector pin is .tal ered as shown.

viso inlwhich-i'gnition was missing and the present deviceI enables this to be readily done. Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a vdiagrammaticsection through lthe device.'

Fig. 2 is a section o'n lin'e :v2-m2 Fig. 1,.

1 designates-the timer shaft driven by the engine at half the speed of the engine, theengine being a four-cycle engine and ignition taking `place in the c linder at every other stroke. a-stationary case 2 in 'which is a ,series of radially arranged slidable detector. pins 3,.

each' havin almurled knob 4 outside'the case 2 and eingprovidedl with a compression spring '-5 lInside the case which acts On t-heend ofthe s aft lis a block 7 in which' is slidably mounted a contact plunvger 8, the eontactplunger having-a beveledouter end 9,' as 'shown in Fig. 2, 'anda coil sprinl 10 serving-.to normally hold the contact p unger 8 in outward position, Ia pini11 acting as a stop to strike against a bushing 12in which the contact lunger is slidably mounted, the bushing 12 eing screwed iiito the block V7 As the shaft 1 rotates'the bev-A eled end 9 of the contact plunger successively contacts with the detector pins'3 and the beveled. ends of the latter act in succes; sion to move the contact plunger 8 inwardly, so' that the latter is intermittently moved;

inwardly as the shaft 1 rbtates. As'fthe coi1- tact plunger 8 is moved inwardly lts inner Specification of Lettera Patent. Application led June 9, 1910. Serial No. 566,110.

Owing to thev absence of vibrabe 'angularly ad The e'nd of t e' shaft 1 projects into IGNITION TIMER AND DETCTORL Patetedluar. 12,1912.

end is moved n'toicontact with a sprin contact blade 13 which isfmounte'd on insu ation 14 and in electrical connection with a stud 15, the latter being arranged concentric with shaft 1 and turning therewith and in contact with the end of a stationary-binding post 16 which is insulated' from the case 2. The circuit is established with the proper eylinderat the proper time by a commutator 17 which is provided with segmental contact plates 18 separated from each other and wiped by spring blade 19. When the contact plunger 9 is moved inward by detector pin v 3, one of the segments 18 is in contact with the blade 19 and circuit through the spark plug ofthe associated cylinder is made, the circuit lbeing established through the binding post 16 to stud 15 to Contact blade' 13" and contactplunger '8 and from the latter it is grounded. As the contact plunger 9 rides' past the edge of 'the detector pin 3 it snaps'l back breaking connection from contact plate 13 and opening the circuit, thereby producing .a sparkat the spark' plug in the cylinder. By adjust-ing the angular position of the casin '2, the detector pins 3 will vnced -or retarded and the time of spark will accordingly be advanced or'retarded.l

If it be desired tofascertain y I if one or .moree of the cylinders are missing tire, this may be done by simply pulling out a detector pin 3 and holding each one out for a suiiicient' period to determine if the cylinders associated with the othen-detector pins are regularly working. Thus, when a detector pln 3 is -pulled out, the contact plunger 8 will not make' contact with the detector pinwhich is pulled-out and will notbe moved'inwardly into' contact with blade 13,' so that the cylinderass ciated with that'detector pin will be releasd4 from duty andthe remaining cylinders will be detected 4in succession it they ,dov t ignite properly, the method of detection being similar to that employed in holdin down a vibrator.

lt shou d be understood that the detector pins 3 do not makel electrica-l connection with the contact plunger 8 nor have electrical connection with the respective cylinders,

of the detector pins as, determined by the etv l'lO

as their unctionis purely mechanical, their urpose being to move the contact plun er 8 inwardly atcertain angular positions o the 'shaft'v 1. Nevertheless, the angular position angular position of the case 2 does determine the time al; which the ignition shall take place in ihe cycle as, although they act nieehanicrally, the' perform and regulate the function of meliiing Contact betyv'een the eon tact ).lunger 8 and blade 13.

What I elaine is:

1. A shaft, a Contact plunger slidable thereon and electrically grounded, a contact blade ,rotating with the Shaft, a Stationary terminal electrically connected with the contact blade, end a seriesof relatively stationary detector pins with which the contactplunger successively coacts and is moved thereby into electrical connection with said Contact blade, each of said detector pins being movable out of `the path of movement of the Contact plunger to escape the same. l

A case, a series of detector pins Slidable in the case, means for yieldingly holding said detector pins inwardly, a shaft e'X- cause its 'end to engage With the respective ffleleotoi" pins and be moved inwali'dly, a con tact blade carried by said block with 'which the Contact plunger `is moved into electrical connection by the detector pine, a stud rolating with the shaft and connected withv the Contact blade, a stationary' binding post on said ease having a Stud 1n Contact with the rotating stud.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand. at Los Angeles, California, this 14th day of May, 1910.

THOMAS C. .FORBES In presence of (l. T. HAGKLEY, FRANK L.4 A. GRAHAM. 

